Thursday, May 29, 2008

I wanted to wait until I had some pictures before I made this announcement. On Thursday, May 22 William got a new little cousin. Brian's sister Meaghan gave birth to an 8 pound, 7 ounce baby boy. His name is Matthew John. Matthew has an older brother Patrick. Mama and baby are doing great. In fact, they all marched in the Memorial Day Parade on City Island in New York City on Monday!

After a long and enduring labor with her first baby Meaghan was fortunate to have an easy and quick delivery with Matthew. She arrived at the hospital at 6:00 p.m. and Matthew was in her arms at 6:45 p.m.! Congrats to the Clancy family!

I almost thought an old shot of William accidentally got mixed in with Matthew's pictures. I can't believe the striking resemblance!

I forgot to post yesterday about our follow-up appointment with William's pediatrician about the events that occurred on Monday morning. Just the fact that I forgot to post should tell you that we didn't really receive any new information. Here's what we learned:

Our pediatrician agreed with me that the cause of William's symptoms probably wasn't due to dehydration. With dehydration you see the effects more over time and the biggest contradictory fact is that he had completely full diapers.

She did not see a need to rerun his blood work as his numbers from the ER on Monday were not all that alarming.

She thinks that the cause could have been one of two things:

He caught a powerful virus and his immune system acted quickly and aggressively which caused his whole body to shut down. If this was the case it's actually a good thing. It means he has an immune system that knows what to do when it's being attacked.

Or she thinks he possibly got into something. It could have been a cleaning product or a plant outside or something like that. Because there were so many people at my mom's house and he was the only child there I really don't feel that this was the case.

Our pediatrician also said she finds it baffling that he came out of the unconscious state so fast. If he were sick we should have seen a more gradual recovery.

In the end she wants to write this off as just a fluke but should it ever happen again we are to bring him right to the ER and then we might possibly talk about seeing a neurologist or some other specialist.

Even though we didn't get any answers I'm okay with that. I'd rather have it that way than have them come in and tell me some earth-shattering and possibly devastating news. And my gut is telling me that he's really fine and that this just happened for no apparent reason. Nonetheless we'll be watching him closely and I'll keep you posted if anything changes.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

If you are looking for a stylish, affordable and most of all comfortable flip-flop, look no further. These sandals and fab. u. lous. I have had these sandals for almost four years now and I have yet to get sick of them like I do with so many other shoes and apparel.

One of the hardest things about easing into summer is having to put up with annoying blisters while you wait for your feet to adapt from being out of socks every day. But these flip-flops need no wearing in. I use them pretty much every day. Even if I have to go somewhere that I'll need to do a lot of walking, I forgo the hot and sweaty tennis shoes and just slip into these babies. And they pretty much go with any of my summer t-shirts so I never have to think twice about coordinating.

Brian has a pair as well and though I couldn't find the exact style he owns they most resemble this. Although he doesn't wear them as often as I do, he is in agreement with me that they are perfect for when you need comfort above anything else.

These flip-flops typically go on sale in late May so I would highly recommend never paying full price which is usually around $25. Right now they are on sale for $15 which is why I snatched up these in hibiscus just yesterday. But if you are a true bargain-hunter who can wait out the peak season, you should know that I have seen these as low as $6 once the leaves start to change. If this describes you than you are stronger than me.

Yes, in case you were wondering that third to last picture is of us sitting in the ER on Monday morning. After a long and fun weekend William decided to give us a little scare by losing consciousness for a few hours. Brian and I rushed him to the ER when it was apparent he was acting a little more seriously than just a normal sick little boy. He was seen right away and some tests were done. We knew it was bad when the lap tech had to poke him a bunch of times to get some blood and he didn't even flinch.

His labs came back with a slightly elevated white blood cell count. The ER doctor determined he was probably dehydrated. We're not sure how that happened because William hearts water. If you're ever around him for more than an hour you'll hear him scream, "Waa-waa!"

The treatment plan was to get an IV in him, have the on-call pediatrician see him and keep him overnight for observation. But William had a different plan. As soon as the nurses came in to insert his IV he put up a major fight and did a complete 180. Suddenly he was wide awake and just as alert as he normally is. They tried to get an IV in him twice and failed. I suggested letting him sip on water on his own to see if he could keep that down. They agreed and it work marvelously. He chugged an entire cup of water and then held it up and said, "Mo peeze!"

When the on-call pediatrician walked in and saw William I wanted to konk him over the head for making liars out of us. She must have wondered why we were there at all. Luckily the ER doctor vouched that he really was unconscious and unresponsive just a few minutes ago. The pediatrician ordered a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. It came back clear and we were on our way home.

William will go in to see his regular practitioner tomorrow to run follow-up tests but I'm sure everything will be fine. He's eating, drinking and climbing this morning just like any other day. Those dang kids. They'll always make you out to be a huge over-reactor. Better safe than sorry, I guess.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Yesterday William officially turned 18-months-old. Somehow that length of time seems to defy logic. How is it possible that he has been on this earth for twice the amount of time I carried him in my belly? Wasn't my pregnancy like, forever?

It feels like it was just yesterday when I could change his diaper and instead of battling with a squirmy toddler my biggest concern was avoiding a squirt in the face. And yet at the same time I think, was there ever a time that Brian and I managed life with just the two of us before this little guy entered our lives? It feels like I've known him my whole life and it's difficult to remember what it was like before he was here.

The experts will tell you that bringing a child into your marriage causes a lot of stress. And maybe I'm just better at seeing the positives and blocking out the negatives but I really don't feel like this has happened to us. Sure, there are frustrating times when Brian is out working all day and I'm here at home. But those times are so few and far between the other glorious times. The times when all three of us lay in bed on a lazy Saturday morning. Or the times when we play in the park on a sunny evening. Or making weekend trips to the bakery or coffee shop. It's during those times when I realize that my relationship with Brian was nowhere near complete until our little Willingham came along.

I know I've made a few of these reflective posts before but hopefully, like me, you never get sick of them. In the busyness that is this summertime, it's so important to slow down and focus on what's important.

Today I will spend my time packing up. We're going to my mom's for the holiday weekend. And while it's easy to focus on how chaotic and stressful it is to travel, we do it to achieve a more important goal and that's time and memories with our family and friends. We'll do it again when we go up North, we'll do it again when we make a trip to Chicago and we'll do it yet again to celebrate my sister's wedding.

It's busy and it's tedious and sometimes maddening but when we look back, those aren't the parts we ever remember. And that's exactly the way I look back on these 18 months I've had with my little William.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

If you haven't read about chemicals leeching into our food and drink via plastics already than you've probably heard whisperings of it. No? Then you should definitely read this quick guide that lets you know what's safe and what you should probably get rid of. I've already had to get rid of my Nalgene bottle, a few sippy cups, all of my Dr. Brown's baby bottles and all of my disposable plastic water bottles that I like to save and refill.

What's a little disconcerting is that the U.S. is behind most other civilized nations in pulling these products off the shelves. So until the government does it for us, we just have to educate ourselves.

The news of plastic chemical leeching wasn't a huge blow to the Nash household for a few reasons.

(1) I don't drink a lot of bottled water during the day. It's really bad, I know. And whenever I do get really thirsty I usually pour filtered water into a glass.

(2) William hardly ever used baby bottles. He only had one if I wasn't around to nurse him or if we were at a public place where there wasn't a discreet location for me to feed him. For our next baby I think I'm going to invest in a few glass baby bottles. That's right! The old glass baby bottle is making a comeback. See? Not everything gets better as time goes on.

(3) Thankfully the sippy cups William uses most often have a #5 on the bottom which you'll see from the link above is on the safe list.

Now, enter the Sigg bottle. These water bottles are made out of aluminum to prevent the chemical leeching problem that plastics pose. From their website Sigg says:

Extruded from a single piece of aluminum, our innovative SIGG Lifestyle Water Bottles is surprisingly rugged, crack-resistant and completely reusable and recyclable. A ground-breaking interior lining is 100% effective against leaching and combats residue build-up, so your SIGG Lifestyle Bottle is easy to clean and ensures that all you taste is the water, juice or the energy drink that you just poured into the bottle, even after its been sitting in the Sun!

I purchased a super-cute lifestyle bottle complete with frilly flowers and all. I opted for the active bottle top which features a flip top. You have to press the top down for the water to come out which means my little sidekick, William, can't accidentally spill water all over.

Probably the best thing about this water bottle for me is that I've started to drink a lot more aqua during the day. If I keep it constantly filled, it's so much easier to just grab it off the counter while I'm the middle of cleaning up after a meal. I've even found that as my water intake has increase my afternoon headaches have subsided.

The price of a Sigg may turn you off initially (about $21) but when you take into consideration the amount of disposable plastic water bottles you purchase, the savings will start to add up pretty fast. Instead of purchasing individual bottled waters we now buy one big jug at the grocery store or use our Britta.

I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm not super conscientious when it comes to our environment but I must admit that it does feel good to not fill up our recycling bin with tons of plastic bottles.

You can purchase your Sigg online but to subside the shipping costs I was able to find a few at Creative Kids Stuff. But keep in mind that their selection isn't as large as the one you'll find online.

Monday, May 19, 2008

This afternoon I told William to go to the patio door to look at the birdies so that he would be distracted while I was getting his lunch ready. From the kitchen sink window I saw two finches on my feeder so I thought that would keep him occupied just long enough to spread peanut butter and jelly and cut up a banana.

While he was standing there he kept says, "Gack, gack!"

This, you might remember from a previous post, is the sound he makes for a duck.

I responded, "No buddy, those birdies aren't ducks. You know what the birdie says. Tell me what the birdie says."

Again, "Gack, gack!"

I said, "No, the birdies say 'Tweet, tweet!' remember?"

Again, "Gack, gack!"

His lunch was ready so I walked over to the patio door to retrieve him and there sitting outside our patio door were two ducks entertaining my son. They were just out of my vantage point from the kitchen sink.

I'm constantly surprised at how much smarter this 18-month-old is than I think he is.

Entertainment: The season finale of The Office and a regular episode of Grey's. I was wrong last week when I said it was season finale week. The Grey's season finale isn't until next week but I'm still going to discontinue Thursday Night Recaps for the rest of the summer. Let's face it, it's nice out and that means my dinner menu isn't all that interesting. In warmer weather we usually stick to grilled meats, and fresh fruits and veggies. No recipes to follow!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Lately I feel like I've really been boo-hooing about where we live. We really want to have another baby but it is going to be a tight squeeze in our tiny house. We really want to move back to our beloved St. Paul, but there's just no way we can put our house for sale in this market. So here we are.

This morning I took William for a walk through a beautiful park reserve that is just blocks from our house. No park, no swings, no slides. Just me and William and the nature that surrounded us.

As I was nearing a turn in the walking path I saw a deer dart out and leap across the pavement. Luckily I had thought to snag my camera along for the walk in case I came across any good photos opportunities for William. I grabbed for my camera but it was too late. The deer had disappeared into the woods.

Then, just when I thought it was over, another deer stuck her head out. She too wanted to cross the path and follow her friend. This time I caught it all here. And then, just when I thought that was over, I spotted yet a third doe. By this time we were rather close and she just stayed put for a while, probably too scared to follow her friends at this point.

William and I sat there for quite some time and just watched her watch us. William got really into it and started talking to the deer. I captured that here. (Note: It's very difficult to see the deer in this video, but trust me, she's there.)

Then a group of high school students approached from the opposite direction and I could see the deer get slightly agitated no doubt feeling a bit trapped. Then from behind came a man walking his dog and that deer had had enough. Off she ran back into the woods.

Before the other people came into sight William and I had a peaceful time together just watching the deer. And at that moment I felt like God was speaking to me. He was telling me to slow down and just enjoy where I am here and now instead of always trying to think about where I want to be or where I wish I could be. Because one day when we do have that perfect sized house in St. Paul you can bet there won't be deer just a morning walk away.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

If you have a toddler, have ever had a toddler or know someone who has a toddler, I have a question for you. What do you do on the days when you are by yourself and need to hop in the shower?

This topic came up at ECFE the other day and I was shocked by the number of moms who let their toddler have the run of the house while they are getting clean. I have never done this, until today, so I need to find out if I'm being too circumspect.

If I am the only adult at home I typically shower under three arrangements. The optimal situation is when William is sleeping. But we all know that toddlers never have a sleeping schedule that conforms to your schedule. So in those instances when he's not sleeping I restrain him in his over-the-door jumper which he outgrew months ago. Fortunately he still loves this thing so it works for the 10 minutes I need to jump in and jump out.

Lastly, when I am in desperation mode, I strap him in his highchair and turn on Sesame Street or something of the like. I hate doing this. It just feels wrong. And that's why I've really only done it a few times.

So today I let him roam the house while I showered. And it was fine, but I just couldn't seem to relax while I was shampooing and conditioning. If I heard him, I was worried. If I didn't hear him I was more worried. Was he choking? Did he fall? Was he unconscious? Did someone break into the house and take him? Ridiculous, I know, but these were my thoughts that were racing through my mind. I'm not even sure I got clean.

So now I'm asking you. Do you (or did you) let your child/children roam the house while you shower? And if so, what do you do to ensure everything will be safe and sound when you get out?

Do you ever read that section in People magazine called "I Really Love My..."? It's usually a series of pictures that shows one celebrity with the same purse/sunglasses/bracelet/you-name-it on more than one occasion. How tacky, right? Right...

Anyway, as absurd as it is I love being able to take a sneak peek into other people's lives to see what they just can't live without. Many times celebrity items aren't very practical so that's why I thought I'd start my own spinoff right here.

The rules for picking my "Gotta Love It, Gotta Have It" objects are endless. It could fall into the category of fashion, baby, household or just plain fun. In no way am I being compensated by these companies so you can be sure that when I say I love it, I'm speaking the whole truth.

If you have any particular area where you'd like to hear what my "Gotta Have It" object is, I'd love to hear from you!

Ok so my object this week is...drumroll...my Kaytee Finch Feeder Sock! I used to have a finch feeder that looked like this. And for the most part it worked just fine. But the problem with these types of feeders in a climate like ours is that water, snow and ice can seep through the plastic which causes the thistle to get moldy. And finches will go nowhere near mold. So every spring I would find myself sporting rubber gloves and going in to clean out the finch feeder. Yuck! Gag me! But I do love me some finches so I did this disgusting task for them.

This year I had had enough. I went to Target in search of a new feeder. I should mention that you can buy a rather expensive feeder that claims to keep all the moisture out. I wasn't willing to drop that much cash on a bird feeder but if you are, that may be your new best friend.

Instead I found this handy dandy feeder sock for right around $4. The sock is made out of mesh so that the thistle stays in but the finches are able to eat out of the tiny holes. I can keep refilling this sock and if/when it gets moldy I'll just toss it out and get a new one.

At first I was skeptical if my picky finches would take to their new feeder but after two days they can't stay away! There are our new feathered friends off to the right.

The best part is that it's been so much fun for William. I keep my feeder right outside our sliding glass door in front of our dinner table so he is mesmerized at every meal.

He has learned that the birds are easily scared away so when he sees one he holds his finger up to his lips and says, "Shhhhhh....!"

And if the finches are in a singing mood, William will answer back with a "Tweet tweet!"

I'm sure this is more than you ever wanted to know about a bird feeder but it's been making my day lately so that's why I had to put it at the top of my Gotta Love It, Gotta Have It list!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Just that fact that I'm posting my Thursday Night Recap on a Monday tells you how the last few days have been. Busy.

When spring and summer come marching in, we all come marching out of our houses. To a friend's house, to the grocery store, on a road trip, even to the mall to update our warmer weather outfits.

I love this time of the year. I can run out to pick up a gallon of milk without having dress my family with gear that would prepare us for the next ice age. But with it comes round-the-clock busyness.

We had a playdate then a trip to Mall of America with my mom. Then my brother was in town then it was Mother's Day. And just when you think you've come over the peak, you see another one on the horizon. Isn't that how it always goes?

But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. These are the things that make the summer memorable and the reason why we love summer so much.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, please forgive me if, in the near future, you start to see a lot of posts with a lot of pictures and not a lot of words. Because, well, it means we're caught up in our summer busyness.

Eats: I cheated because it was such a chaotic week. We had a free burrito coupon for Chipotle so we redeemed that.

Dessert: Well Cold Stone Creamery is right next to Chipotle so we indulged in a little Mud Pie Mojo action.

Drink: I don't even remember. I probably had a beer or maybe a glass of champagne.

Entertainment: Grey's and The Office, what else?

***Next week are season finale episodes already. That means that next week will be my last installment of Thursday Night Recap. I will take a hiatus over the summer because really, who watches television during the summer anyway? Recaps will continue come new September episodes.***

Thursday, May 8, 2008

William is really into animal sounds lately. Actually he's just really into animals period. He sleeps with a monkey, a bear and a duck. This did not come from us. We have never pushed a "lovey" on him. So when he slowly started adding animals to the herd in his crib, it was completely his own doing.

Every morning he will hold up each animal and declare the sound it makes. First the duck ("gack gack") then the monkey ("ooo ooo ooo eee eee eee") and finally the bear ("beeeer"). Ok so I guess for the bear he just likes to call it what it is instead of saying the sound.

So this is why, when I found myself at the Target dollar spot the other day, I purchased a set of four plastic safari animals for him. There they are off to the right in all their African glory. There's an elephant, giraffe, zebra and either a tiger or a lioness, not sure.

The problem is that only one of these animals has a truly identifiable sound and that's the tiger/lioness. I guess technically the elephant makes a distinct sound but have you ever tried making that sound yourself? It doesn't really come out right.

So when William holds one of these animals up to me and says, "uh?" I don't really know what to teach him.

He's taken to saying "moo" when he holds up the giraffe which is really funny. He did the same thing when we walked into the giraffe pen at the zoo last week. And the more I try to tell him it's not a cow the more he's insistent that the giraffe does indeed say "moo."

So fine, the giraffe says, "moo" but what does the zebra say? Well the zebra kind of looks like a horse and he does know the horsie sound ("weeee") so we went with that.

Now what to do with that dang elephant. I tried just saying "el-a-fant." But that's pretty cumbersome in the mouth for a 1-year-old. He looked at me intensely as I repeated myself a few more times.

"El."

"A."

"Fant."

Finally after many failed attempts of trying to get him to mimick me, he picked up the elephant, looked at it and said, "Woof woof!"

This, my dear readers, is just one example of the never-ending dilemmas of a stay-at-home mom.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I've been writing this blog for just over 10 months now and what you may not know is that I've secretly been getting a bit frustrated. It's hard coming up with new and interesting things to post about every day.

As life happens each and every hour I'm thinking, "Could that be my next best post?"

I lay in bed at night waiting for dreamland to come over me and in my head I'm writing out the first sentences of how I'm going to start my post for the next day.

Or I might come upon something that William has done that is funny or maddening and before I react I think, "I've got to grab my camera so that I can post a picture of this!"

Sometimes I accomplish something that I'm really proud of. A wonderfully put together meal or a rearranged room and again, I snatch my camera so that my life can unfold before your eyes.

And as this blog has continued I've watched my daily hits rise and rise. I've got a little thingamabob called Google Analytics that helps me track how many people come to visit my blog each day. Right now the average is about 40 unique hits per weekday. I have slowly been gaining about five new readers each month.

But the problem? The amount of comments left on my site has not been proportional to the readership.

Sure a lot of you email me directly or when you see me in person you say, "Hey, great picture on your blog the other day."

But I need your comments. I'm begging for your comments. Comments are the footprints that remind me that when I wrote that one post, that one day, way back when, someone read it. Otherwise the only proof I have that anyone was ever here is my very impersonal Google Analytics thingamabob.

Now I'm certainly not asking that you post a comment each time I make a post but just a little feedback every few days would be tremendously appreciated. And the best part? I don't even have to know who you are. You are more than welcome to post anonymously. That's the beauty of Blogger my friends.

So what's got me all worked up? I read this post on another mom's blog a few days ago and it really hit the nail on the head for me. Pay attention to the part where she talks about how comments = pay day for bloggers. That is so true.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Four years ago Brian was just getting ready to graduate from the University of St. Thomas. I, being a year ahead of him, had already made my way into corporate America.

As is tradition at St. Thomas, the senior class was collaborating on a gift to leave for the campus. The committee consisted of 19 members from the student body. And Brian, being the Senior Class President, was included in the committee. The idea was for the committee to decide what their gift to the university should be and then solicit the students for monetary donations toward that gift.

One member of the committee offered the idea of giving the university's chapel a permanent crucifix. Something the chapel had not had since it was built. He could not have predicted the uproar this would cause. The controversy stemmed on whether the crucifix would represent the entire student body. On the other hand, was a gift meant to represent the giver?

Being the Senior Class President, Brian was caught in the middle of this argument. But as a Catholic and being appreciative of the four years of Catholic education he had just received, he obviously was in support of the crucifix. Below is an excerpt of an article that was printed in the campus newspaper. The complete article can be found here.

Senior class president Brian Nash is also on the senior gift committee, and he said he supports giving a crucifix as a gift for a number of reasons. He pointed to a past class that gave a flagpole as an example that no senior gift will fully represent the entire class.

"We have international students in the senior class, and that American flag may not be representative of their country," Nash said. "You would hope that after four years they would see the ideals of the American flag. They may not believe in it fully or think America’s the greatest, but they’d at least respect it and see the good in it. I would hope that we could see the same for the crucifix."

Nash said he will focus on making the senior gift a good experience for everyone.

"I certainly don’t want people’s emotions and their ideologies getting trampled on," he said. "I really want respect around this issue. The gift has been voted on and it’s been decided on. We’re really trying to keep this as positive as possible."

The class of 2004 gave $5,000 toward a gift of a crucifix to be included in the campus chapel. A few private donors (to cover the remaining costs) and four years later and the crucifix and a renovated sanctuary have been finished.

Yesterday Brian and I attended a mass to celebrate the blessing of this new crucifix and the renovated altar.

A picture of the new crucifix adorned the invitation that was sent to us to attend the blessing mass. But nothing, including that picture, could have prepared me when I first walked into the chapel. The crucifix is absolutely breathtaking. It is 11 feet tall and is suspended from the ceiling over the altar.

In his homily, Father Dease (University President) spoke about hope. He talked about how he had met with the Holy Father when he was in America and how the Holy Father's message to Catholic education was one of hope. And I thought how appropriate that theme was for this day.

Here we were, in this beautiful chapel, where Brian and I attended mass so many times while we were students. A chapel where we also vowed to spend the rest of our lives together in our sacrament of marriage. And now, four years later, we were back in support of our hope for the university, Catholic education and the Church as a whole. And hanging above us was the symbol and testament to it all.

As I wrote this I searched high and low for a complete picture of the new crucifix inside the chapel. I came up dry. At first I was kicking myself for not taking a picture yesterday. But now I think that it's only appropriate that I tease you with this post with hope that you too will someday walk into the chapel and be just as awed as I was.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

This weekend we were celebrating a big deal that came in for Brian at his job. These are the small victories that allow me to stay at home with William and forgo daycare. I thank God that I am able to even have that choice. So of course this victory couldn't go by without a little celebration. And since we didn't have (or really want/need) a babysitter for the evening I got creative. And I think I did pretty well. Check it out.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Our bedrooms and upstairs bathroom are desperately begging to be cleaned. But this morning I talked myself out of holding my 17-month-old hostage inside all day and decided to take advantage of the semi-nice day outside. We went to the zoo.

I was disappointed to find out that our favorite exhibit from last year, the polar bears, are on vacation at the Detroit zoo while their pen gets remodeled. But we still had a blast watching the lions, giraffes, zebra, seals and penguins. But William's favorite by a mile was the primate exhibit. He got ample use out of his monkey sounds: "Ooo ooo ooo, Ahh, ahh, ahh!"